Sonos Studio in Los Angeles hosted a private interview and acoustic session with Moby to promote his new album Innocents, out October 1st. The evening certainly highlights the warm, charming side of Moby and his ability to relate to the masses through spirituality and music.

Moby entertains with an anecdote about how eagerly The Flaming Lips’ singer Wayne Coyne accepted his invitation to be a part of his new album Innocents and join him in filming an accompanying music video. In the video for “The Perfect Life,” the two are clad in mariachi outfits and meander about the city enjoying all the joy of its colorful characters– ribbon dancers, roller-skaters and musicians, oh my! After playing the video, they move into a discussion about how Southern California is so saturated with cliché, new age folks. Moby mentions that he is happy to live in a place where it is considered normal to be “weird, quasi-innocent seekers,” which gets a great laugh from the crowd.

The first fan question, via Twitter, inquires which musical artist he would be if he could switch places with any other. David Bowie is apparently number one on the list, but he is not alone; Moby asserts that Robert Plant circa ’73 and Tommy Lee circa ’87 run close second and third place. He then goes on to explain how he relates his spirituality to his creation of music. It is mostly a combination of all his different emotional reactions to the human condition. “So, the music I make is a reflection of that. It’s not a long-winded, ancient spiritual practice. It’s more just sort of like trying to have a gentle, compassionate look at how we all respond to the baffling aspects of the human condition.”

Indeed, Moby’s work inspires several emotional reactions. He has countless hits and collaborations under his belt. Prior to performing, he warns the crowd that in an effort to delicately deliver his work, the crowd must pay respect to his accompanying vocalist Mindy Jones and stay quiet, or else he will go into a “Murdery rage!” The silent crowd quickly discovers that zipping it is more than worthwhile because Jones’s voice is utterly stunning and soulful. She sends chills down everyone’s spines as she howls through Moby’s strums on the guitar. A cellist sits to the side and smoothly plays a sweet rhythm to complete the sound. Without a doubt, hearing Moby’s tracks (old and new) live and in an acoustic setting is nothing short of awesome. Be sure to catch a more lively set from him at The Fonda in Los Angeles next week!

Set List

Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad
Almost Home (Innocents)
Porcelain
Extreme Ways
A Case for Shame (Innocents)
The Perfect Life (Innocents)
Natural Blues
Whole Lotta Love (Willie Dixon cover, Led Zeppelin version)